Celebrating Down Syndrome with our tonies® families

Did you know that around 47,000 people in the UK have Down Syndrome? Some little ones with Down Syndrome may experience difficulty or delay with their speech, language and communication skills. That’s where Makaton comes in. It’s a combination of signs, symbols and speech that gives kids extra visual support and understanding AND it pairs really well with the Toniebox. Here are some of the ways it can be used together:

• Taking part in Tonies games and songs with our Favourite Children's Songs.

• Listening to and telling stories with story Tonies like Julia Donaldson and Disney.

• Sharing their thoughts and emotions with the help of Moshi free content and Calm.

We are delighted to have this opportunity to share a little insight into some of our tonies® family’s lives. Let’s see how these parents use the Toniebox to help with their kiddies' development and why the Tonie fans LOVE it!

Meet Nora...

The Toniebox has been great for Nora's development, especially her speech. Her main form of communication is Makaton and signing and singing have been shown to encourage the development of communication and language skills. We sing along and use our Makaton signs and I find that Nora is a lot more engaged when listening to her Toniebox than she is when watching TV, especially since we are all joining in with the actions together.

It's so exciting to see Nora trying more and more to sing along with the songs and attempting to use words alongside her Makaton signs. Her speech is improving all the time and her Toniebox has played a big part in that.”

Meet Remy...

The Creative-Tonie has been a brilliant addition to our routines by giving Remy a more interactive way to know what is expected next. I have also been able to record words for Remy to practise saying and signing. It just makes the experience more fun and engaging for him which gets a positive reaction in return.

Remy's Tonie collection is growing rapidly but the PAW Patrol characters are a firm favourite at the moment.”

Meet Polly...

Polly actually knows nearly every word from the songs in some Disney movies like Frozen, Tangled and Toy Story to name a few. I find that listening to them on her Toniebox helps her focus on what they are saying, so she can focus on repeating and learning. 

At bedtime we tend to pick a story like Julia Donaldson Snail and the Whale and we even use it to listen to at bath time to help calm Polly down before bed. We really couldn’t be without our Toniebox and our healthy growing collection of Tonie characters! I would recommend them to any parent and especially if your child has SEN, they are a beautiful visual and a great listen.”

Meet Mollie...

We’ve turned it into a fun game of “freeze” by placing the characters on and off. It’s fantastic for fine-tuning her motor skills as she independently engages with the Tonies, placing them on and off and turning the volume up and down. Plus, the Toniebox introduces her to a wide array of stories and music, expanding her horizons and igniting her imagination. It’s our all-in-one tool for play, learning, and endless enjoyment." We’re soooooo happy that our Toniebox has helped these littles with their development.